Fire tore through a two-story commercial/residential building in the Westlake area Thursday, gutting much of the interior, and one person was taken into custody for possibly igniting the blaze.
The fire erupted around 5:15 p.m. in the 2800 block of Seventh Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
A 45-year-old man was taken to a hospital from the scene with non-life-threatening injuries, and Los Angeles Fire Department officials said he was in police custody and being investigated for possible involvement in starting the blaze.
No other details were immediately available, but fire officials said an LAFD engine was already at the scene assisting with an unspecified Los Angeles Police Department response when the blaze erupted inside the building.
ABC7 reported that police were originally called to the area earlier Thursday afternoon in response to a report of somebody setting small fires in the area.
No other injuries were reported in the blaze.
It took more than 100 firefighters about an hour to knock down the flames, but crews continued working beyond that time to fully douse small pockets of fire in the structure.
The building had commercial units on the ground floor and about eight apartment units above in a center-hallway configuration. Fire officials said the LAPD had completely evacuated the building prior to the blaze as part of their response to the original call at the location.
A damage assessment was not immediately available, but the interior of the structure appeared to be largely destroyed.